Communication
by Quixotic-Feline
Summary: “Some pair we are,” she teased, face buried in his hair. “We seriously need some lessons in communication.” SnapeHermione


She could feel his eyes on her as she nimbly chopped the root into neat squares. Gritting her teeth, she carefully gathered the squares and tossed them into the bubbling potion, watching with a satisfied curl of her mouth as it turned the desired shade of green.

Her smile promptly disappeared when his mocking voice cut the silence, "Really, Miss Granger, if the world-renowned Potions Masters at Blackfists's Academy were to see the carelessness with which you handle ingredients, you'd be thrown out by the scruff."

Suppressing the biting remark fighting to escape her mouth, she forced a look of polite interest onto her face.

"If you would be kind enough to point out the exact moment I behaved, as you said, carelessly with the ingredients, I would be eternally grateful, Professor Snape." Any other person would have flinched at the acid in her voice, yet Snape merely cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Of course, Miss Granger. I am a most gracious teacher." The malevolent smirk on his face said the opposite.

Abandoning her post by the cauldron, Hermione strolled benevolently over to him, until the space between them could have been barely filled by a house elf.

"I'm waiting with the utmost eagerness for your words of constructive criticism, Professor," she said, sarcasm dripping from her words.

The infuriating smirk played on his sallow face a moment longer, before his expression smoothed into one of absolute blankness.

"The moment you decided, Miss Granger, that it would be a wonderful idea to crassly toss the rose roots into the potion like carrots into a soup," he answered, voice soft, but Hermione could hear the irritated snap underlying his tone.

Eyes narrowing, she snapped, "What is wrong with you, Severus? You know just as well as I do that it would make no difference if I added the roots with care or without."

She could see him drawing into himself, defenses rising like a wall around him. His eyes were suddenly glaring at her coldly.

"That may be so, Miss Granger, but it does not change the fact that a future Potions Mistress should move with the utmost grace and care in all situations. A lack of those traits indicates that you are still inadequate in the art of potions. "

She couldn't suppress a flinch at his harsh words, feeling like he had delivered a physical blow. For a moment her shoulders drooped, trying to fight off the traitorous feelings of resignation.

She didn't see his countenance soften as he watched her deflate, and just as he drew breath for an apology her head snapped up, eyes flashing angrily.

"You know what? This isn't _about _potions, isn't it." It wasn't a question.

She had straightened and unconsciously took on a combat position, preparing for battle. Snape's eyes narrowed into black slits.

"I have no idea what you are babbling on about, foolish girl," he barked, and turning on his heel began to stride away, voluminous black robes billowing behind him like the wings of a crow.

"Don't you _dare _run away from me, Snape, you coward! Come back and face me like a man!" she yelled after him, rage coloring her words.

Just as she had predicted, her words made him stop in his tracks and spin around to face her, fury burning in his black eyes.

"You're one to talk about cowardice, Hermione," he hissed, a mean challenge in his eyes.

Noticing that the tables had turned, she realized with a wry flicker of irony that her first impulse was to bolt from the room. Clenching her teeth, she stood her ground and lifted her head, so that her eyes peered down at him despite the difference in height.

"We both decided it was for the best, Severus. Don't you dare suggest that keeping our relationship secret was solely my decision."

Running a frustrated hand through his long hair, Snape made an uncharacteristic sound of annoyance.

"Goddamn it, Hermione! Haven't you noticed anything?" he cried, voice rising.

"Noticed WHAT?" she shouted, annoyance and confusion finally peaking. Snape, for a moment, looked like he wanted to shout as well, but then he deflated, in a heartbeat changing from the intimidating Potions Master to an insecure, scared lover.

"That I don't want us to be secret anymore," his voice was so soft she had to strain her ears to catch his words.

In a beat her anger and frustration evaporated, replaced by rising feelings of tenderness.

"Severus..." she began quietly, walking over to him. Placing a finger under his chin and making him level his gaze with hers, and half laughed, half sobbed, "Why didn't you just _tell _me?"

Eyes searching hers, he raised a hand as if to caress her face, then let it drop just as his fingertips grazed her skin.

"Because I was afraid of your answer," he whispered, attempting to pull away from her. The hand at his neck pulled him back, however, and a second later the other hand curled around him and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Some pair we are," she teased, face buried in his hair. "We seriously need some lessons in communication."

She felt his chest vibrate as he laughed into her shoulder, arms wound around her waist.

Someone chose that exact moment to burst uninvited into the room, the door swinging open to admit Minerva McGonagall.

"Severus, I apologize for intruding on – "

They watched, amused, as the old Transfiguration professor froze in her tracks, a dumbfounded expression on her wrinkled face.

Sharing a quick look, Snape unwrapped his arms from around the ex-Griffindor, only to pull her back against his chest, lacing their fingers together.

He cocked a mocking brow at her, dropping a casual kiss onto Hermione's head.

"… you and your fiancé," he finished for her, smirking. Hermione giggled as McGonagall's face paled even more, and decided that coming out into the open with their relationship wasn't such a bad thing after all.

She couldn't wait to shock Trelawney into speechlessness. She was sure the old bat hadn't predicted this.

A/n: Eheheheh... I'm having a serious Snape/Hermione fluff attack! I blame it on all the wonderful S/Hr fics I've been reading lately!!!!


End file.
